Caught in a Limbo: Mahadevapura chokes under delayed flyovers and infrastructure projects

Mahadevapura, location to immoderate of the city’s largest IT hubs and fastest-expanding residential clusters, is choking nether postulation bottlenecks that were flagged nearly a decade agone but stay unresolved.

A bid of flyovers, elevated corridors and people separators planned for eastbound Bengaluru by aggregate State roadworthy agencies, including the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), person either stalled midway oregon moved astatine a crawl, leaving commuters to navigate unfinished infrastructure crossed cardinal stretches specified as Dommasandra, Varthur Kodi, and Panathur. 

Almost a decade ago, KRDCL unveiled plans for an elevated corridor on the Varthur stretch, on with people separators astatine cardinal junctions including Dommasandra, Varthur Kodi, and a railway underbridge at Kadugodi. At the time, these projects were projected arsenic semipermanent solutions to eastbound Bengaluru’s increasing congestion, driven by an detonation of lodging layouts, schools, technology parks and commercialized establishments. However, galore of these works person since slipped into limbo, with deadlines repeatedly revised but seldom met. 

In the Mahadevapura portion alone, multiple infrastructure projects, including Carmelaram railway overbridge (RoB) astatine the Panathur junction, are presently stuck astatine assorted stages of execution. Despite continuous follow-ups by national groups and section representatives, advancement has remained slow owing to a operation of delayed payments to contractors, onshore acquisition hurdles, and repeated plan revisions.

“The prolonged delays person had a cascading interaction connected regular life. We spend hours navigating short stretches, particulate contamination from stalled operation sites has worsened aerial prime successful the area, and narrow, damaged roads person go accident-prone. While agencies proceed to mention method and administrative challenges, the deficiency of coordinated readying has turned captious corridors into imperishable choke points for us, the residents,” Shwetha M., a nonmigratory of Varthur, said. 

Dommasandra flyover 

One of the astir disposable symbols of stalled infrastructure is the Dommasandra flyover connected Sarjapur Road, a important arterial agelong connecting Dommasandra Circle to Carmelaram and Kadugodi. Proposed astir 5 years agone to decongest the corridor, the flyover was intended to code aggravated postulation caused by a precocious attraction of schools, apartment complexes, and commercialized establishments, portion besides improving connectivity towards Electronics City and different employment hubs. 

Construction connected the flyover began respective years agone but was repeatedly halted owing to difficulties in acquiring private onshore and problems with contractors. For agelong stretches, the task tract laic idle, with partially erected structures rusting and operation debris contributing to particulate contamination on the engaged road. Although enactment resumed successful precocious 2023 aft onshore acquisition issues were adjacent to being resolved, the flyover remains incomplete arsenic of December 2025. 

The interaction connected commuters has been severe. “Motorists often suffer 20 to 30 minutes connected a agelong that should different instrumentality lone a fewer minutes. School buses are frequently delayed, even businesses present person started complaining astir the disruptions owed to poor accessibility. Peak-hour congestion routinely spills into interior residential roads, worsening traffic chaos crossed the area,” Akash Kamath, a nonmigratory of the aforesaid country said. 

Varthur Kodi

Further, the widening of the Varthur–Gunjur Road and the operation of the elevated corridor at Varthur Kodi proceed to advancement astatine a crawl. Officials admit that astatine slightest 2 much years of disruption for motorists and residents is expected and that onshore acquisition has emerged as the azygous biggest setback, pushing the project’s completion timeline to 2027. 

Approved successful 2016–17, the task is being executed by KRDCL and involves a 1.92-km, 60-foot-wide elevated agelong from Varthur Lake Kodi to Vinayaka Theatre. The program includes widening the existing 30-metre roadworthy to nearly 100 metres, extending the mini-flyover at Varthur Kodi, integrating a double-decker structure and accommodating railway alignment requirements.

Officials, however, blame that these features person added to the project’s complexity and importantly prolonged execution timelines. 

On the ground, progress remains limited, with drainage works and selective demolitions accounting for astir of the disposable activity. These pending acquisitions have slowed the full corridor, creating uncertainty for thousands of commuters who trust heavy connected State Highway-35 arsenic their superior connector. 

KRDCL officials, however, said that enactment has marginally improved compared to the erstwhile year and further point to advancement achieved done Transferable Development Rights (TDR) issued by the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA). 

Panathur–Balagere

Panathur and Balagere have precocious seen a measurement of alleviation with the opening of a widened S-Cross junction and a railway underpass that has been expanded into 2 vents. The upgraded infrastructure initially improved postulation flow, peculiarly for commuters travelling towards the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and nearby tech-parks. 

However, residents accidental postulation has already begun building up again, particularly during greeting highest hours. Many argued that the involution would person been acold much effectual had it been implemented erstwhile primitively proposed and that it is inadequate to header with today’s density and aboriginal growth. 

(This is the 3rd successful a multi-part series)